"Mr. Ray" sues Pixar, says hurt by "Finding Nemo"

mickey04

mickey04

Member
Original Poster
I don't think anyone's posted this yet- anyway, I just had to laugh when I read it...

"Mr. Ray" sues Pixar, says hurt by "Finding Nemo"




Tuesday July 15, 7:57 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, July 15 (Reuters) - Taking a lesson from director Spike Lee, children's entertainer Mr. Ray on Tuesday said he was suing Walt Disney Co. (DIS) and Pixar Animation Studios Inc. (PIXR) because a fishy character in hit movie "Finding Nemo" was destroying his reputation.

Ray Yodlowsky, known as Mr. Ray in parts of New Jersey for songs like "Kalien the Alien" and "Roy G Biv," is seeking $10 million from Disney and Pixar in a suit filed in the federal court in New York, he and his lawyer said.

The Pixar movie "Finding Nemo," distributed by Disney and likely to be the second-biggest-grossing animated movie ever, follows a father fish's search for his lost son and includes a kindly school teacher character, a manta ray named "Mr. Ray."

Use of the "Mr. Ray" name would "obliterate and destroy Plaintiff's reputation" and the market for his products, the Mr. Ray from New Jersey said.

Yodlowsky in a statement compared his plight to that of director Spike Lee, who sued and settled with Viacom Inc. (VIAb) over ownership rights to his professional name when the media conglomerate decided to rename its TNN network "Spike TV".

Pixar referred reporters seeking to Disney, which was not immediately available for comment.


©2003 Reuters Limited.
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Well, what do ya think? Sounds like another frivolous law suit for Disney to deal with. Gee, it's a real shame that guy's reputation might be "obliterated.":rolleyes:
 
mickey04

mickey04

Member
Original Poster
Originally posted by NowInc
This...if anything..would HELP Mr.Ray....geez...this ones a total no brainer ;)
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You know I was thinking the same thing. The only thing hurting his reputation is this stupid lawsuit. :hammer:
 
meeko_33785

meeko_33785

Well-Known Member
How in the world will he think that having a character with the same name as him in a popular Disney animated movie will tarnish his reputation? If anything is ruining his reputation, it's doing something this rediculous.

Then again, isn't Mr. Ray not looking after Nemo the reason he got lost in the first place? If that was the case, maybe he does have somewhat of a point (not sure how much of one, but at least some).
 
MrPromey

MrPromey

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by FutureCEO
People need brains
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Mr. Ray sure doesn’t… Think about it. We are talking about a guy we otherwise would never have heard from.

This whole lawsuit sounds like a publicity stunt to me.
 
NowInc

NowInc

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by MrPromey
Mr. Ray sure doesn’t… Think about it. We are talking about a guy we otherwise would never have heard from.

This whole lawsuit sounds like a publicity stunt to me.
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Well..yeah..but too bad its getting VERY minimal media attention ;)
 
MrPromey

MrPromey

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by NowInc
Well..yeah..but too bad its getting VERY minimal media attention ;)
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That may be but it was a Reuters article which means it was syndicated…

It was probably a bit of an exaggeration to say “Mr. Ray” doesn’t need brains for reasons which probably have to do with more than just this lawsuit but just the same, I would find it hard to believe that a lawyer would actually counsel him with the intention of reaping financial rewards by actually winning a suit.
 
T

TURKEY

New Member
Originally posted by MrPromey
That may be but it was a Reuters article which means it was syndicated…

It was probably a bit of an exaggeration to say “Mr. Ray” doesn’t need brains for reasons which probably have to do with more than just this lawsuit but just the same, I would find it hard to believe that a lawyer would actually counsel him with the intention of reaping financial rewards by actually winning a suit.
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I've also seen it getting mentioned on some of the bigger financial websites and I think there was something in the WSJ on this.
 
prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by mickey04


Yodlowsky in a statement compared his plight to that of director Spike Lee, who sued and settled with Viacom Inc. (VIAb) over ownership rights to his professional name when the media conglomerate decided to rename its TNN network "Spike TV".
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Well, when "Spike" Lee loses HIS lawsuit, Mr. Yodlowsky's "statement" should help pull this lawsuit down with it....

BTW, the family of classic entertainer "Spike" Jones has joined in Viacom's defense, claiming that if "Spike" Lee prevails in staking a claim to the name "Spike," it would hurt them. Not to mention the fact that "Spike" Jones came before "Spike" Lee, and thus would have a better claim (and could even claim that Lee infringed on their father's good name....)
 
prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
In fact, I propose that all dog-owners whose dog is named "Spike" file a class-action lawsuit against "Spike" Lee, for staking claim to their dog's name....
 
MrPromey

MrPromey

Well-Known Member
Another article from the AP:

Man sues Disney, Pixar over use of 'Mr. Ray' name

July 22, 2003, 5:07 AM EDT
NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Will the real Mr. Ray please stand up?
On the big screen, it's the name of the manta ray in the animated movie "Finding Nemo."
In real life, he's Ray Yodlowsky, a children's musician known as Mr. Ray.
The flesh-and-bones version is not taking the coincidence lying down. Yodlowsky has filed a $10 million trademark infringement lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios, claiming the manta ray character is causing confusion among his fans.
Yodlowsky told the Home News Tribune of East Brunswick Monday that some of his fans expected him to be dressed as a manta ray at a recent appearance.
"It's weird," he said. "I'm a human ... that's a manta ray. People must be thinking I'm nuts. But it's my future, and who knows what plans they have for their Mr. Ray? Believe you me, children remember all the minor and secondary characters from those movies."
In the movie, the manta ray plays a schoolteacher who helps a father fish search for his son.
A representative for Pixar declined comment, and attempts to reach Disney were unsuccessful.


Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press
 
blm07

blm07

Active Member
Originally posted by MrPromey
Will the real Mr. Ray please stand up?
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When will that stupid saying die? A person has to be a moron to think its funny. Anyway, I could understand if the guy was accused of killing somebody and then his reputation was torn apart, but a name in the movie probably wouldn't effect his life.
 

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